When it was revealed that Assassin's Creed Odyssey was doubling down on the RPG elements of its predecessor Origins, many were likely excited about the number of choices present in the game - the dialogue options, the romances options, and even the character options. However, like Origins, Assassin's Creed Odyssey continues the grind to level up, complete with a steep curve in difficulty when facing enemies at a higher level than the player.

At times, one level can be the difference between a standard fight and a losing, uphill battle. Because of this, we've compiled a list of ways players can level up quickly and stay ahead of the enemies they face. After all, with as much time as players will need to complete the story, they'll likely want to avoid getting bogged down in a level grind.

Scout With Ikaros

One simple tip is to always scout ahead with Ikaros. By using the eagle to identify enemies and locations on the massive map, players can know what is further up and plan accordingly. Discovering locations is a bit of experience for next to nothing, and completing location objectives - "kill X", "find this" - will grant players a worthwhile amount of experience whether in small camps or big fortresses.

Raid Locations

As mentioned, completing small or big locations grants a worthwhile amount of experience in itself. However, they can be even more important because they can also trigger conquest battles. These are often the best ways to level up, so players should keep an eye out for locations with leaders. Big forts will always help trigger conquests, granting players experience in the process while leading to a battle that'll trigger loads of experience.

Conquest Battles

Conquest 150v150 battles are one of the best ways to gather experience. Players should always be mindful over the control in certain regions and complete these whenever they pop up. Although they seem daunting at first, a proper set of skills can turn these epic battles into a few minutes of gameplay at an epic level of experience. Players who go down the Hunter tree will want to max out multishot as fast as possible and take out several enemies in one go with that skill. Warriors may want to carry heavy weapons and frequently use overpower attacks. Even in these battles, choice matters.

Complete Side Quests and Bounties

Of course, side quests are always a key source for experience, but players should pay attention to the color of the quest. If the XP is in blue, then it's a rare level quest. If the XP is purple, then it is epic, and if it is gold, it is legendary, Paying attention to these markers will show players which side quests are worth the time. It seems likely more of these will become available as the game's post-launch DLC comes into play.

Another key thing to do is frequently check message boards and gather bounties at land and sea. Bounties have players complete simple tasks such as kill X soldiers or take out X pirate ships. It then grants good experience for the sometimes mundane task. Moreover, there seems to be no limit to the number of bounties that can be carried, so players can rack up on these in order to rack up on experience.

Level Up Gear

Players will also want to make the most out of their gear, engraving it with the best abilities at hand. The key thing is to keep gear level as close to the player level as possible. A level 25 character with level 20 gear will kill slower and only extends the grind, and sometimes, one level is all it takes.

Kill Legendary Animals

At one point, players will meet a daughter of Artemis and earn quests to take down legendary animals like the Kalydonian Boar. Players will always want to complete these missions because they are basically a double dip in experience. First, players will gain a solid amount of experience for the fight (where players should just cheese their best abilities.) Then, it'll drop an item that also gives a lot of experience when turned into the daughter of Artemis.

Purchase XP Boosters

Unfortunately, the grind is real in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and those who get bogged down in this gameplay have the choice of time saver microtransactions. These grant bonus experience for a certain amount of time, but there is one that grants a permanent boost (for a price) that gives players 50% more experience throughout the game. While we wouldn't exactly recommend this method, it's there for those who get bogged down in the leveling up system.

Of course, being mindful of these aspects of the game will result in players maximizing their time invested in the game and give them the quickest level up they can earn. For those on the fence about the game because of this, check out our review here. Tell us, Ranters, what do you think about this level grind in Assassin's Creed Odyssey?

Assassin's Creed Odyssey is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.